XML Flash Slideshow v4

Image Link

The Image Link tab of the Image Properties dialog is where you will specify the link which is attached to the image. This is the page which is jumped to when the image is clicked. The tab appears as follows:

About Shortcut Text (AKA Replacement Values)

Before covering all of the options, it is important to note the availability of shortcut text (also known as "replacement values") which can be used in certain fields to reference values in other fields.

In the title, description, link, link target, and tooltip fields, you can add a shortcut to other properties and attribute values on the image.

The following image-related replacement values are available:

{image.index} or {image.id} - This string is replaced with the 1-base index of the current image. For example, "This is image #{image.id}" would become "This is image #1" while the first image was open, then subsequently "This is image #2", etc.
{image.total} - This string is replaced with the total number of images in the current gallery. For example, "This is image {image.id}/{image.total}" would become "This is image 1/10" if there were ten images in the gallery and the first image was open.
{image.link} - This string is replaced with the current image's link value (if one has been defined). For example, "Purchase from: {image.link}" would become "Purchase from: http://www.mysite.com/" if the image's link was defined like this: <img link="http://www.mysite.com/" ... />.
{image.title} - This string is replaced with the current image's title value (if one has been defined). For example, "Current image: {image.title}" would become "Current image: Daffodil" if the image's title was defined like this: <img ... title="Daffodil" ... />.
{image.caption} - This string is replaced with the current image's caption value (if one has been defined). For example, "About: {image.caption}" would become "About: Taken two weeks ago on holiday in South Africa" if the image's caption was defined like this: <img ... caption="Taken two weeks ago on holiday in South Africa" ... />.
{image.someOtherAtt} - This string is replaced with the corresponding XML attribute of the current image's XML node. For example, "Current image: {image.title}" would become "Current image: Blue Orchid" if the image's title was defined like this: <img title="Blue Orchid" ... >. You can use the standard attributes (such as title and caption), or any custom attribute which has been defined. In other words, {image.someValue} would be replaced with <img ... someValue="Special attribute value!" ... />
[Metadata support] {metadata.property} - This string is replaced with various available metadata parameters that are read from the loaded images. Click here to learn more about metadata integration. The available property values include {metadata.creator} (corresponds to the Creator metadata property), {metadata.title} (corresponds to the Title metadata property), and {metadata.description} (corresponds to the Description metadata property). If a requested metadata property doesn't exist on an image, or if the metadata isn't available because the image hasn't fully loaded yet, a default value can be specified using the following format: {metadata.property|Default Value Here} . After the property value, a pipe character denotes the start of the default string. For example, the following value would display "Loading..." until the metadata title became available: {metadata.title|Loading...} .

Other less-common image-related replacement values are available too:

{image.index0} or {image.id0} - This string is replaced with the 0-base index of the current image. This is generally a property used only by advanced users; for most purposes, the 1-base {image.index} value is appropriate.
{image.uniqID} - This string is replaced with the uniqID index of the current image. This can be used for permalinking, and will not be affected by randomization. This is generally a property only used by advanced users.
{image.rawID} - This string is replaced with the id attribute defined on the actual image node; this is the value set in the wizard in the Image Linkage ID field. This is generally a property only used by advanced users.
{image.src} - This string is replaced with the current image's src value. This usually represents just the file name of the image; if you want to get the entire image path, use the {image.srcFull} replacement value.
{image.srcFull} - This string is replaced with the current image's full image path (use {image.src} for just the shorter path / file name).
{image.thumbFull} - This string is replaced with the current image's full thumb path (use {image.thumb} for just the shorter path / file name)

For all replacement values, you can use the following format to specify a default value: {image.property|Default Value Here} . Follow the property name with a pipe character (|) and the default value before the closing curly brace.

Note that you can use multiple replacement values in the same string.

One of the most common usage examples is setting the link URL to be {image.src} and the link target to _blank. This would make the full-size image open in a new browser window when it is clicked, allowing the user to view, download or print the original image.

Option Overview

Property	Description
Image Link URL	This is the link which is opened when the user clicks on the image. The URL can be either a relative path (relative to the slideshow's HTML page), or a full http:// URL. You can use the browse button ('...') to the right of the URL field to browse for and select a page; in this case the proper path will be automatically generated. You can also call javascript by using links in the following format: javascript:void(myJavascriptFunction('param1', 'param2')); If you want to have the link open in a true popup window (which gives you control over the size and appearance of the window), you must use a special javascript link. The Popup Link Builder will automatically generate this type of link for you. See the Using the Popup Link Builder section just below for more information. Important note: Whenever using a popup link or a javascript link, you should set the Link Target option to _self.
Link Target	The link target represents the window in which the image link will be opened. Specifying a value here will override any gallery-wide defaults established in the Gallery Properties dialog. The default value of _self will open the link in the current window. Using _blank will open the link in a new browser window. Using _parent will open the link in the parent page if using frames. Specifying any other value will control a specific frame in a frameset. For control over the appearance and size of a new window, you must use a true popup window. See the Image Link URL property directly above for more information about this. Important note: Whenever using a popup link or a javascript link, you should set the Link Target option to _self.

Property

Description

Image Link URL

This is the link which is opened when the user clicks on the image. The URL can be either a relative path (relative to the slideshow's HTML page), or a full http:// URL. You can use the browse button ('...') to the right of the URL field to browse for and select a page; in this case the proper path will be automatically generated. You can also call javascript by using links in the following format:

javascript:void(myJavascriptFunction('param1', 'param2'));

If you want to have the link open in a true popup window (which gives you control over the size and appearance of the window), you must use a special javascript link. The Popup Link Builder will automatically generate this type of link for you. See the Using the Popup Link Builder section just below for more information.

Important note: Whenever using a popup link or a javascript link, you should set the Link Target option to _self.

Link Target

The link target represents the window in which the image link will be opened. Specifying a value here will override any gallery-wide defaults established in the Gallery Properties dialog. The default value of _self will open the link in the current window. Using _blank will open the link in a new browser window. Using _parent will open the link in the parent page if using frames. Specifying any other value will control a specific frame in a frameset.

For control over the appearance and size of a new window, you must use a true popup window. See the Image Link URL property directly above for more information about this.

Important note: Whenever using a popup link or a javascript link, you should set the Link Target option to _self.

Using the Popup Link Builder

The Popup Link Builder builds the necessary links to open true popup windows when an image is clicked on. This feature is only available in the Pro version of the software - learn more about upgrading here. To get started, click the 'Generate Popup Link...' button:

The Popup Link Builder dialog appears as follows:

Each of the options control the following:

Property	Description
Link URL	This is the URL which you want opened in the popup. The same guidelines apply as those for the Image Link URL propery shown above. You can use the browse button ('...') located to the right of the URL box to browse to and select the page you want to link to.
Dimensions	Specifies the width and height, in pixels, of the popup window which is opened. The first field is the width, the second the height.
Window Options	These settings control the appearance of the popup window. Note that some of the options are ignored by some browsers. By default, the popup window will be almost entirely blank; no toolbars or other chrome will be shown.

When you're done configuring each of the options, click the OK button to generate the link and return to the main window:

Note: Some browsers may require your users to temporarily allow popups to be able to launch popups from the slideshow. You may want to provide a note mentioning this if you rely heavily on popups.

Advanced Techniques

Automatic URL Jumping

You can also configure the slideshow to automatically open the image's link when the image is opened. To do this, you must enable an automatic jump for the Autoplay Delay setting in the Playback Settings tab of the Image Properties dialog. See the topic which covers that tab for more complete information. This feature can be used to create an intro-slideshow which automatically jumps to the main site once it finishes playing (i.e. the last slide is reached).

XML Equivalents (for Advanced Users and Developers)

The settings above map to the following XML attributes on each <img ... /> node:

Property	Equivalent <img ... /> Attribute
Image Link URL	@link
Link Target	@linkTarget

Note that the '@' is part of customary syntactical representation, and is not part of each attribute name.

For more detailed XML information, see the Developer Reference.

XML Flash Slideshow v4 Help